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My first business was a dream. It was three best friends coming together to “stick it to the man,” leave corporate America and start an agency on our own. We grew to 8 full-time employees, an amazing office on South Beach with views of the ocean, and investors who paid us handsomely for a percentage of our company. My partners and I were in our 20s and living the dream! Then my accountant calls me into his office one day because he had some important information he needed to share with me. It turns out that I wasn’t paying employment taxes to the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for an entire year and I had accumulated a bill for $20,000 that needed to be paid…immediately. I was shocked. I didn’t have the cash, and I didn’t know where I was going to get it from. I got on a repayment plan with the IRS. My parents gave me a loan so I could be on my way to recovering from this mess I had created. I made some cuts at the office and eliminated people I had brought on board. I had to start over. I was humiliated and depressed. I felt like a failure. I’ve carried this “guilt” with me my entire entrepreneurial career. This traumatizing experience is why I didn’t make any more big attempts to hire a lot of employees again. I’ve purposely kept myself a “boutique” firm, so I don’t have to relive that embarrassment. That feeling of guilt is a big reason why I’m constantly reluctant to launch businesses that require many employees. This IRS experience was so painful for me that I wanted to bury it deep in my mind and pretend it didn’t happen, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t affect me and the businesses I would continue to launch. When we entrepreneurs do that, it’s like putting a toxic wastebasket in our brains, showing what we don’t want to deal with in our businesses into it and putting the lid on tight. And the next time we want to launch a venture, if we don’t invite Jesus to come and deal with what we’ve put in there, it will affect our mindset and decision making – stopping us from launching the business God intends us to be in. However, the bible says In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:26‭-‬28 NIV) This means that even in the worst of your business circumstances, God is at work to heal you and save you. Nothing you’ve done in your past businesses is beyond His power. Launching your business can be a story of God’s redemptive love and healing power if you allow Jesus into the place where you’re storing the hurts of your business past. The only way forward to launching your business is to stop hiding, face what we’d rather keep buried, and let God deal with it. It will be a gradual process, but God will heal. First, we have to truly feel “forgiven” for anything in the past, regardless if we were guilty or not. We can’t launch a business freely, until we are free of guilt, no matter what we’ve done or how much shame we feel. Second, we must share this guilt with someone and ask them to pray for us. The bible says, “If we admit our sins – make a clean breast of them – he’ll be true to himself. He’ll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing.” (1 John 1:8) Those of us Godpreneurs that struggle with guilt need to embrace that we don’t need to shove guilt into the back of our minds – we must release it completely. This is the beginning of the freedom that will allow us to launch the business God intends for us. But… Holding on to that guilt for many years means that there’s still a ways to go to be healed from it entirely. In my case, the type of guilt that I lived with for so many years is the feeling of responsibility for the crime of not paying my employee taxes and the embarrassment of having to let them go. The enemy loves to keep entrepreneurs trapped in a place of feeling guilty because when we are stuck there, we won’t be able to launch, grow, and develop business God’s way. Imagine if we all didn’t hide our feelings of guilt, and instead, faced what we’d rather keep buried, and let God deal with it. Guilt is a major obstacle we will overcome when launching our businesses if we can give it over to God. If you need prayer for this, drop a comment, and our team will pray for you. #BusinessBibleStudy #LaunchingMyBusiness #GodpreneurAcademy Overcoming Obstacles to Launching Your Idea Join Us on a 12-Days Business Bible Plan to learn Overcoming Obstacles to Launching Your Idea. Heard of the Godpreneur Academy? Grow Your Business, God’s Way! Bible-Based Video Courses for Entrepreneurs Putting God First In their Businesses Click here to create a Free Account

As an entrepreneur, I’ve never had just “one” business. Instead, I’ve always owned several businesses either on my own or with partners. It’s fun to own multiple businesses because I could have money coming from different places, not be bored just doing one thing, exercise my creative juices in different areas, and whenever possible feed leads or opportunities from one complementing business to another. But there’s also a darker side to owning multiple businesses that I’ve avoided talking about for many years, but it’s finally time I confess – a lot of times I feel out-of-alignment, pulled in different directions, and divided in my decision-making. As a result, I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve caused damage to my reputation in business because of the domino effect that happened both professionally and personally when I didn’t pay attention to what this division in my life was doing to me. It’s not that owning multiple businesses is wrong. Many people are successfully managing 2 or more businesses. What I discovered was wrong with me didn’t really have anything at all to do with the business itself, but with a much deeper root in my own personal life – my integrity. We Christian entrepreneurs know that integrity is important. We’ve heard about it, and we may have an idea of what it is, but integrity has so many levels in all seasons of our life that it essentially becomes a life-long muscle that has to be strengthened and exercised. The Definition of Integrity One definition that the dictionary gives for integrity is “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.” As Christian entrepreneurs, I think we would all say that we pass this test or that we’re working on this in our lives and we feel justified by this definition. But there’s a second definition of integrity – “the state of being whole and undivided.” The difference is that this definition is not about honesty or character or goodness.  Instead, this version describes integrity as wholeness or oneness. In other words, an entrepreneur with integrity has perfect alignment between their words, actions, beliefs, and I would argue, even their businesses. A business owner of integrity is not divided, we don’t say one thing and do another, and we are consistent with our core. It’s the second definition that left me thinking that a have a lot of room to grow in this area of integrity. I’ve met and done business with people of high integrity and its always a breath of fresh air because they are always on time, they are focused, and they do what they say they’re going to do. A Warning about Integrity We would all agree that integrity is both a rare and extremely important quality in entrepreneurship, especially for us Godpreneurs. It is a virtue that God would want us to improve and intentionally cultivate. In fact, integrity is so important to God that its mentioned 6 times in the book of Proverbs alone, 16 times in the rest of the bible, and referenced in over 80 other bible verses! The one we see most often in Proverbs is something like this: "Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out". (Proverbs 10:9) In each of the proverbs that mention integrity, God contrasts good integrity with the consequences of not having integrity. Why? Not to scare us, but for us to see that there’s a domino effect that can happen when a business life is out of alignment. When integrity in business is lacking, it sets off a chain reaction that if not fixed, can lead to so many problems. When one thing falls it knocks down another, which knocks down another, and soon enough, things have gotten out of control. Here are some problems you may also be experiencing in your business life that point to your need to also work on your Integrity. 6 Signs that Point to a Problem With Your Integrity You’re Losing Your Attention to Detail – When your actions and words are out of sync it causes you to make mistakes in internal projects, production, or the services you’re providing. Because you said one thing but did another thing, your brain can’t process things perfectly because God didn’t design your brain to do two opposing things at the same time. Your Self Discipline Takes a Nosedive – Entrepreneurship requires 100% excellence in self-discipline because you’re the boss, so you are the only one holding yourself accountable to your goals. Self-discipline even as a non-business owner is not easy, and it is next to impossible for entrepreneurs when your personal integrity is out of whack.  When you see yourself marking every task or project launch as “urgent”, then you’re blinded to the truly important tasks God needs you to focus on, therefore what God wants you to accomplish that day slips through the cracks. Your Reputation Begins to Suffer – Proverbs 22:1 says “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.” You think you’re in business to make money, but God placed reputation ABOVE money because poor integrity will be a bad witness to the world and good people (people of high integrity) will not want to work with you. Instead, you’ll attract other people of bad integrity.  You can fool some clients or employees when they first meet you, but sooner or later your being out of alignment will make your reputation suffer. You Experience Problems at Home – I don’t know about you, but when there’s an issue with a client’s account and have to get home late because I’m fixing the problem so I don’t damage my reputation, my wife isn’t happy. She understands to a certain extent, but it’s not ideal. The stresses of not being in integrity will bleed into your personal life. Your spouse and kids won’t get the 100% you. You Can’t Sleeping Well Because Your Mind Won’t Stop – When I’m stressed, I lay up at night staring at the ceiling thinking about work. Forget about a sleep pattern, I get thrown off and wake up tired. Getting home late will make you sleep late, then you’ll want to get up early to keep fixing things and you get little sleep. The bible says, “It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.” (Psalm 127:2) 6. Now Your Health is at Risk – When you’re stressed, don’t sleep well, and have problems with your spouse and kids, it’s a recipe for health problems. God didn’t design our bodies to go through this kind of turmoil. Your body is an outward expression of what’s going on inside. Gaining weight? Back hurt? Eyes twitching? This is your body outwardly showing the integrity issues. The chain reaction above is a small illustration of the problems when our integrity is compromised. To drive the point home, if a bridge has a huge crack, we probably wouldn’t cross it. It’s obvious that the structural integrity of the bridge means it needs fixing. But what if the bridge had a bunch of small cracks? We’d probably still cross it. But if they don’t fix the small cracks, they will become bigger. In the same way, our personal integrity can develop small cracks over time that turn into big cracks. And sometimes people can’t see the small cracks, but eventually, the cracks will become public and our business and personal lives come crumbling down. We Godpreneurs need to make sure we’re always working at keeping our integrity. But how? In the next few posts, we’ll explore integrity and reveal God’s plan for keeping our hearts pure. #StrengthenIntegrity #BecomeDisciplined

Something I choose to work on a lot in my personal development is the art of patience – waiting for the right time to launch a new product or service, or waiting on the best time to hire someone. I have such big visions, I want to grow so fast! It’s likely tied to my need/want for success. It probably has roots in pride as well, since I want to be the first and only one doing what I do. I could even trace a bit of ego because I want to prove to others that I can create a big business that has tons of momentum and buzz. I’ve been down the road a handful of times, and each time I’ve LOST IT ALL. Yup, my pride, greed, and ego all got in the way of the ONE THING that entrepreneurs need when growing a business: patience to wait on God. I’m better every day and with every new venture because of the truth of Proverbs 6:1-5: "My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor, if you have shaken hands in pledge for a stranger,  you have been trapped by what you said, ensnared by the words of your mouth.  So do this, my son, to free yourself, since you have fallen into your neighborʼs hands: Go—to the point of exhaustion— and give your neighbor no rest!  Allow no sleep to your eyes, no slumber to your eyelids.  Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler." Proverbs 6:1‭-‬5 NIV Just a couple of years back I had gone too fast, tried to run too far ahead of the plans, and I found myself in debt and having to make deals with contractors and vendors to reduce the amounts I owed them. A huge blow to my ego. Godpreneurs, it is never too late to throw our life into reverse if we detect that we are on the wrong road. Have courage today. Be honest with yourself and ask God to help you develop the patience you need to wait on Him and not create your own success. When we see a door of opportunity, there is nothing wrong with turning the door’s handle to see if it will open but a lot of heartaches can follow if we break down a door that is locked. I have learned some bitter lessons when I have done this. Creating my own success also places a burden on me to sustain that which I have created. On the other hand, when God allows me to go through a door, it is He who keeps the door open and I can rest in that partnership. Godpreneur Rule: Patiently wait on God for your business success and He will give you results greater than you could engineer on your own. #NewEntrepreneurs #LaunchingMyBusiness #SharpenLeadership

Since I deal with corporate clients, getting $2,500 checks isn’t that easy. Two people have to sign a check, but the invoice has to go to 2 departments then through a processing plant, and back down to the 3rd floor for delivery Things can get confusing and sometimes they make mistakes. Mistakes like paying twice on the same invoice.  This has happened to me several times. So now I’m staring at a $2,500 error in my favor. Like monopoly, I feel like I got that bank error community chest card! What would you do? Would you deposit the check and hope corporate accounting doesn’t catch it and if they do you’ll just play stupid? Or would you call up your point of contact and point out the error? This is THE EXACT moment at the Garden of Eden where Satan tempted Eve.  That’s the same thing she went through. Does she take the shortcut to knowing God or does she refuse to compromise and follow God faithfully. So you want to know what I personally did?  Here, I’ll tell you the truth from two times this has happened to me. About a year ago I ate the apple and deposited the check. The client never found out, I still have the money.  But can I tell you that last year has been the roughest year of my career.  I’m not saying that this choice on my part caused all that, but it did reveal to God that I still wasn’t ready to be ‘trusted with a lot’ because I couldn’t be trusted with this little bit. (Luke 16:10-12).  God had to bring me down and out of depths of depression and anxiety that I wouldn’t wish on anyone. I’ve come out of that valley, and I’m stronger than ever! And then came the test AGAIN!  OMG!! This time I’m closer to God than ever before in my life, BUT I WAS STILL WANTING TO STEAL!!  I started to make up things in my mind like “well this could be God showing me favor because I tithed a big check to the church.” I began to justify what I know wasn’t right. The devil is a LIAR!  And he lurks around like a roaring lion ready to devour (1 Peter 5:8).  Even the godliest of men and women aren’t safe. This time I took the other route.  Believe it or not I had to ‘sleep on it’ and the next morning my bible readings were related to ‘not taking shortcuts’. God is so amazing!  He met me in the morning and sat with me and showed me His word and promises.  He held me through the time of prayer and as I cried out to Him he held me closer than ever.  I repented for my sinful nature. I emailed the client immediately and let him know about the mistake. Godpreneurs: No shortcuts!  No stealing!  God is your CEO and he’s watching what you’re going to do with the check the devil brought you. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says God is faithful and He won’t let you be tempted beyond what you can overcome. Entrepreneurs, it is part of our sinful inheritance to want the harvest without the work. Satan is a liar and cheater, and so we shouldn’t be surprised to see such mistaken checks in the mail and a strong inclination to steal it. Any opportunity we have to get rich quick without working catches our attention immediately. I’ve read somewhere that ‘Satan owns the short term.’ I love that.  So true. Proverbs 20:17 says, “Food gained by fraud tastes sweet to a man, but he ends up with a mouth full of gravel.” God owns the long term. Life is a journey, not a short term trip. There are no shortcuts to satisfaction and true peace of mind. Don’t do like I did and deposit the check.  Use it as an opportunity to show Jesus to a client of yours that might be thinking ‘wow, this person could have deposited that check and we would have never known, but there are some good people in this world’. Ultimately, our first purpose in business is to give glory to God.  Do the right thing always. #StrengthenIntegrity #ShareYourTestimony #SideHustlers

As a young girl, I had many friends, and I would come home from school and eagerly tell my parents and sibling about my day and what I did with my friends. As the years rolled by, my relationships began to dwindle, and I wondered why I had fewer friends than my younger self. When I took the bold step of starting a business, my friendships reduced drastically, and I became a handful. This change dampened my hopes, and I began to find myself wondering if I had made the wrong step by starting a business. The choice of starting a business and resolving to continue building a business is very personal, and the majority of entrepreneurs know from a young age that they will start a business at a later stage or start many more as time goes by. The entrepreneurial journey is lonesome, and we can find ourselves struggling to maintain friendships or relationships because they do not understand our resolve to build a business. The story of Gideon came to my mind. When he faced the call to deliver Israel from the Midianites. Gideon minded his own business, beating wheat in the winepress because he had to hide and save it from the Midianites. Then the Angel of the Lord appeared to him and told him to save Israel from the hand of Midian. Gideon is shocked that God could choose him but eventually, he obeys, and he sets out to attack Midian with 32,000 men. (Judges 6-7) I can only imagine Gideon thinking that he has the right number of people to fight against the Midianites. However, God says “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ 3 Now therefore, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and afraid, let him turn and depart at once from Mount Gilead.’ ” And twenty-two thousand of the people returned, and ten thousand remained.” (Judges 7: 2-3, NKJV) Gideon watches the troop dwindle in size, yet God continues to tell him that there are still too many people. A test is done to select the men, and those who lapped water were 300, and these men were to proceed with Gideon. Therefore, are you willing to let God choose your 300? Are you willing to let God choose your tribe? Even if you see people leaving your life, friendships ending or team members quitting along the way? It can be challenging to watch the people around you reduce to a handful but imagine what you could accomplish by allowing God to choose your 300. Like Gideon, the Midianites were destroyed, and Israel was delivered. Our businesses can only reach greater heights if we let God be God in our lives and businesses. He knows who is best for us. He knows who will contribute to the business honestly and wholeheartedly. He knows who will stand by you when the storms of life come your way. So, the next time you see a person leave your life, remember Gideon and his 300. #DifferentiatingMyself #HiringtheRightPeople

One of the natural consequences of wealth is influence. Influence should be about impact. However, influence has created more problems for people than it has done them good. Instead of benefiting from the course of influence, society has been oppressed by the beneficiaries of wealth. Personal popularity, ego, and fame seem to override God’s intent for wealth. The ignorance of the purpose of wealth could be responsible for these. I used to think that my wealth is all about me. Many times, Christian entrepreneurs (we) forget the reasons God allows us to handle wealth. Many of us go self-centered and seek undue glorification. This sometimes shows how wretched we are in understanding how well we can reach out to people for a positive impact. Acquisition of wealth is a means to a godly purpose. Let’s consider a Biblical example of one man that used his wealth and influence for a real purpose. “When she got up to go back to work, Boaz ordered his servants; Let her gleam where there’s still plenty of grain on the ground, make it easy for her. Better yet, pull some of the good stuff out and leave it for her to glean. Give her special treatment” Ruth 2:15-16 MSG. The above talks about a man called Boaz, and a young widow called Ruth. In Ruth 2:1, Boaz was introduced as a man of great wealth. This means he had great and abundant possession. He had many servants working for him. His wealth made him influential. At this time in history, Ruth came back from Moab to Judah with Naomi, her mother-in-law. It was the time of harvest. Both had little or nothing to get life going. Ruth decided to go to the field, to whomsoever would favorably allow her to gather leftover grains for food. Anyway, she had no choice but to take this step of faith. As the Lord would have it, she stepped into the harvest field belonging to a wealthy man, Boaz, and started gleaning the corn that fell from the harvesters (Boaz’s servants) by chance. This act suggests to me that, though these servants were not the custodians of the wealth, they had learned to influence others with the wealth they managed. Those who have excuses for not impacting lives because they don’t control wealth yet must think twice. In that regard, Jesus has this to say; “He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much…” Luke 16:10 AMP. Incidentally afterward, Boaz reported to duty, and Ruth was introduced to him. Boaz instructed Ruth not to go to another field to glean but remain in his own. Not just that, Boaz gave her lunch, and she was satisfied. He further commanded his servants to permit Ruth to glean from plenty of grain, where the bundles of sheaves were lying. This was against her picking from careless dropouts. Boaz was intentional in impacting Ruth through his wealth. He said, “Also, let grain from the bundles fall purposely for her; leave it that she may glean and do not rebuke her” (Ruth 2:16 NKJV). Boaz just wanted Ruth to have more than enough. She received special treatment that changed her life. The peak of it all was that Ruth kept gathering grain from Boaz’s field until they completed the harvest (Ruth 2:21). Boaz influenced the lives of Ruth and Naomi. I ask, how much influence have you made on someone’s life to make him better? How many people have come to you for leftovers (like Ruth) that you helped turn their lives around? You cannot be wealthy to yourself. That is not God’s design. Some people would not even allow dogs to pick crumbs from under their tables. It is a big shame. Such fellows are tending to poverty (Proverbs 11:24). How wealthy you are should be a reflection of the number of people you have impacted their lives. If your wealth or resources cannot influence lives for good, then you are poor. If you were rich, then you would influence people. Imagine how accomplished you will feel having helped someone’s destiny. Take on one person at a time. If you are not yet wealthy, you may be on your way to becoming. Ruth eventually became the progenitor of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Boaz had no idea he was impacting a woman’s life through whom the wealthiest and most influential man would come. Today, we are all enjoying the benefits of the right influence Boaz created with his wealth. Oh, destiny is beckoning on us today. This is how far-reaching our influence can be. #DifferentiatingMyself

.’ – Exodus 20:11 One of the best leadership characters found in the Bible is Nehemiah. His leadership was without any flaw, with an excellent score on timing and planning.

of a series called Kingdom Businessman Blueprint , where we’re learning how to build businesses and leadership The same is true in business and leadership. Take a hard look at your business, your leadership, and your personal life. If your business, leadership, or faith feels stagnant, it may not be a lack of skill or effort—it may That’s how kingdom leadership works. That’s how God builds something that lasts.

You can’t build something that endures without also fortifying your leadership and raising up others kingdom doesn’t expand through solo efforts—it expands through discipleship, mentorship, and shared leadership Do I recognize and call out leadership potential in others? The real test of your leadership isn’t just what happens while you’re in charge—it’s what continues to

You can’t build something that endures without also fortifying your leadership and raising up others kingdom doesn’t expand through solo efforts—it expands through discipleship, mentorship, and shared leadership Do I recognize and call out leadership potential in others? The real test of your leadership isn’t just what happens while you’re in charge—it’s what continues to

It’s telling us to sit down, stay quiet, and play it safe—especially when it comes to leadership, faith CHALLENGE ACCEPTED As men, we often feel the pressure of leadership—in business, in family, and in life And on top of that, the world constantly tries to redefine masculinity, leadership, and success. That means strengthening your faith, aligning your leadership with God’s Word, and rejecting anything Maybe you’ve been burned by past failures—in business, in leadership, or in your personal life.

But what happens when we look at our business, leadership, or life and realize that things have already We've all made mistakes in leadership, in marriage, or in fatherhood that we don’t know how to fix. Their land was ruined, their leadership was corrupt, and their entire culture was built on the wrong He will make your business, your leadership, and your life stand on solid ground.

re in the Kingdom Businessman Blueprint , where we’re learning how to build businesses that last and leadership …If our business is growing, but our leadership isn’t, we're missing the point… …If our influence is If your business, leadership, or influence disappears when you step away, it means you haven’t built

The same is true in business, leadership, and life. …A leadership role filled with unchecked pride will collapse.  If they stopped ignoring the things that weaken their leadership and instead focused on creating something

I love being part of mastermind groups. This is where you get with a group of 5 other entrepreneurs and take half a day to analyze each other’s business. It’s like your own board of directors meeting, once a month. The beauty of masterminds isn’t much on getting advice, which is great to get. The real beauty is in stepping outside of your business once a month to get a bigger perspective, a bird’s eye view of it all. We spend all month at the office and in client meetings. When do we really disconnect to see the big picture? In the Bible, we see Genesis 15 that God gave Abram a very important vision about how he would be the father of the nation of Israel. So there was Abram, lying in his tent, when God “brought him outside and said, ‘Look now toward heaven, and count the stars … So shall your descendants be’” (Gen. 15:5). Abram had to get out of his tent in order to see clearly what God had in store for him. He had to leave the safety and comfort of his bed and go out into the dark, and it was there that God showed him what was in store. Today, you and I are in a temporary earthly tent—our flesh (2 Cor. 5:1). And if your perspective stays in that fleshly tent, you can start to think, “This is all there is. God has nothing to say to me.” But if you delve into the spiritual and step out of your tent in faith, God can show you so much more! His promises are innumerable like the stars and His word assures you that “goodness and mercy will follow [you] all the days of [your] life …” (Ps. 23:6). I like to think of the movie Avatar when the humans get into that machine and wake up as a totally different being in a totally different world. In the same way, there’s a whole different world we could be walking in if we recognized its existence and purposed to go and live there as often as we can. The Bible says "For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands." 2 Corinthians 5:1 NLT Wherever you are in your entrepreneurial career, whatever you’re challenged within your business today, God can show you how to overcome. But to hear Him clearly, you have to step out of your “tent” and gaze into the realm of the holy spirit! Godpreneurs, pray that God would give you the courage to hear Him clearly by stepping out of your fleshly tent and into the spirit-led world. #FindingMyPurpose